As "Fire Gladiator", Markus Freitag was on stage for his own fire show, and for it he gave a special treatment to the Faka knives, to turn them in to fire throwing knives. You will find his experiences and hints below.
Throwing knives with fireis a whole new experience, just you watch! Why I have chosen the Faka as fire throwing knife: The big Faka is long enough that you don't burn your fingers when throwing, and its surface is rough enough to be hold safely even when wet. Also, it throws well from the blade, a technique which is preferred by many circus knife throwers. Please wet the target wall and the surroundings before training, and keep a fire extinguishing blanket at hand! For a start a wet towel is okay. For indoor shows, always have a dedicated fire watch. The knife end with the wick band riveted on is being soaked in lamp oil (e.g. Klarol, 100% pure paraffin; More information: US fire arts association, fuel basics, fuel for juggling, UK shop, Circus linklist). Let all the fluid drop off and wipe the blade dry to prevent it slipping from your hand later. Before a show, have a helper light and extinguish the wick, so that it is preheated and burns well once it is needed. During the show, let at most 1-3 minutes pass between lighting and use. Throw the knives, then quickly retrieve them from the target and have a helper extinguish them with the fire blanket. After the throwing knives have cooled down, soak them again and store them like that, the Kevlar wick must not get dry. Avoid benzin as burning fluid or bounces to the hard ground, as both reduce the life span of your wick. If you want to try out the fire throwing without modifying your throwing knives, just take some cotton and tie it to the handle with some cotton string. Throwing knives with holes in the handle would also be very convenient to braid the wick band on. Unfortunately, the most widespread knife type of this kind (model "Viper") only throws well from the handle and does have a tendency do trop from the target. |